A+E Interactive » Grasshopper Manufacturehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei
Bay Area Arts and Entertainment BlogMon, 30 Mar 2015 12:40:46 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Is there any meaning to Killer is Dead? (review)http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2013/09/02/is-there-any-meaning-to-killer-is-dead-review/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2013/09/02/is-there-any-meaning-to-killer-is-dead-review/#commentsTue, 03 Sep 2013 00:39:28 +0000Gieson Cachohttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=25928
There’s weird and then there’s Suda 51 weird. The auteur who led the development of Lollipop Chainsaw and No More Heroes is known for making titles about unconventional subjects. Lollipop Chainsaw starred a zombie-slaying cheerleader while No More Heroes focused… Continue Reading →]]>
There's weird and then there's Suda 51 weird. The auteur who led the development of Lollipop Chainsaw and No More Heroes is known for making titles about unconventional subjects. Lollipop Chainsaw starred a zombie-slaying cheerleader while No More Heroes focused on Travis Touchdown, an otaku who has to move up the ranks of the United Assassins Association.
Suda 51's latest is just as strange and obtuse as his previous works. Killer is Dead has something to do with the moon, bionic implants and assassins. The problem is figuring out how those disparate elements fit together. It's the M.O. for Suda and his team at Grasshopper Manufacture. They create odd games where players have to piece together the plot, and that often means delving into cryptic remarks or trying to find meaning in seemingly random scenarios.
But there comes a time when one has to ask the question: Is Suda 51 just making a game that's over players heads or is he just throwing garbage on the wall and seeing what sticks?
The visuals in Killer is Dead can be beautiful but is the game shallow?
With Killer is Dead, that's hard to tell. There's definitely a narrative thread: The protagonist Mondo Zappa is an assassin for the Bryan's Executioner Office. In each episode, clients come to the business and the company sends Mondo out on the job to kill the target. Although each chapter has its own story, they add to the momemntum of the overarching plot, which deals with a woman named Moon River, who is dressed like Holly Golightly, a villain named David who controls the Moon and Mondo's own lost memories.
As for the gameplay, it's good. Mondo flamboyantly slices and dices enemies with a combination of his sword and cybernetic armed called Musselback. The game features a parry and dodge system using timed button presses. There's a meter that allows Mondo to perform powerful finishers. Meanwhile, Musselback can transform into different weapons like a drill, gun and cannon. Those enhancements can be used in puzzles and combat.
The combination of the upgradeable moves and weapons gives the game some depth, and the combat does reward those who know what they're doing. The only problem with it is that switching attacks isn't responsive as players have to wait for Mondo to carry through with long-winded animations before switching weapons or using another move.
Killer is Dead has other problems than the combat though. The level design is lacking. There are moments where it shines such as an attack on Area 151 and some boss battles. But most of the time, a chapter consists of traveling through boring, similar-looking corridors interspersed with the easy-to-solve puzzles.
This is about as good as the level design gets.
And of course, there's the Gigolo Mode, which is a magnet for outrage. It's a separate mission where Mondo picks up on women. Players spend time leering at them when they look away and that builds up a meter. When players fill it up at a certain point, they give women presents, which boost a love meter. After a few gifts, the women usually ask Mondo to join them in their room.
Yes, it's sexist, verging on a Bob Filner-level of creepiness. But does it have a purpose or is it gratuitous? Answering that question is the key to figuring out whether the game has any heart or if it's an empty shell.
Suda 51 said he wanted to create a game that tackles the dark side of James Bond. That could mean that Mondo Zappa and those gameplay elements are supposed to provoke scorn or at least focus on what's bad about a womanizing spy who is prone to leave death and destruction in his wake. Throughout the game, the characters seem to be asking themselves why they have to kill? And a few times, they break the fourth wall and say they have to do it because this is an action game. That's the purpose. It shows us what a monster James Bond is.
Then there's the argument that Suda 51 has no idea what he's doing. His games are a chaotic mess that aspire to some level of meaning. It's like bad poetry. It's not that the audience doesn't get what he's saying; it's that how he makes his points and what he has to say is puerile and offensive.
I'm somewhere in the middle. Suda 51 deserves some credit for helming a title that has a solid combat system and interesting themes. Although the game makes him seem like it, he's no chauvinist bent on demeaning and objectifying women. I buy the James Bond angle. But at times, Killer is Dead can be too dense, the ideas and references too obscure. If the characters were more interesting, it'd be easier to play through, but half the time, the game is too bizarre for its own good. There's nothing to grab a hold of. Yes, there's some meaning buried in the game, but players may not really care enough to look for it.